O'Donoghue MTh_Thesis-FinalCopy.pdf - South African Theological ...

The Jewish community was taxed very hard, and there was a large gap between therich and the poor (Wenham and Walton 2001:21). There would have been a middleclass, but nominal in size (Davids 1992:702). People were taxed as individuals, ontheir goods, and they had to pay the temple tax (Wenham and Walton 2001:121).There was also the feeling that as difficult as things already were, the Romans mighthave become less kind than they were.The Tax collectors were known to “raise the dues required by the Romans (Green2000: 25).” Due to the habit of exploiting fellow Jews the Tax collectors wereoutcasts in the Jewish communities. As Green notes, they were excluded from thesynagogues, were classed in the same category as murderers, and generally hatedas “social pariahs.”There was fixed tax which percentage was known by the tax payer and then therewas tax on imports, exports, customs and transport (Green 2000:25). It was in thelater types of tax where there was no fixed percentage that Tax Collectors wereknown to take advantage of and exploit people. Matthew, a tax collector, whoseplace of operation was a lucrative one (Green 2000:25). He operated out ofCapernaum which was on a “main road from Damascus to Egypt, which passedthrough Samaria and Galilee.” I.e. He collected tax in a thriving trade route. Matthewworked under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas who made significantly large amountsof tax payments to Rome.In Addition to the high priestly clans, there were three other groups of Jewish peoplewho in 1 st century Palestine would have been considered wealthy (Davids 1992:701-702). Firstly the Herodians were known to have possessed considerable amounts ofland. To be considered as the top tier of wealthy one would have to own land. TheHerodians carried political power and in turn turned that political power into wealth.Secondly, there were wealthy families in the “Older Jewish Aristocracy” and“individuals who had become rich through trade (Davids 1992:.702).” An examplewould be people who acquired wealth through earnings as a tax collector. Thirdly,there would have been prosperous Merchants.The land owners made money off renting the land to farmers who were often16